Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Well, I wanted to take a 20 week photo, but I was not happy with my sweaty, homely, appearance last week, so it never happened. I didn't want week 21 passing by without getting a photo, so alas - here they are. I figured I better not wait till I looked good, just take the damn pic already! lol

Lil' chicken nugget is moving around letting me know of his/her presence! Mixing this heat and my growing pregnant belly has not been a good combination - not been getting things done especially around the yard! It is a bit more uncomfortable to get good sleep too. I don't expect these things to get better......

I am loving my curvy belly and breasts- went and got a bikini top to wear with my swim shorts so I could show off my belly. lol I think a pregnant body is pretty damn sexy, if I do say so myself. I think my husband thinks so too. ;)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

I was having an ultrasound, but it was being done in water in a tub. I started bleeding and freaking out all worried. The technician and staff present were not worried, telling me they knew someone who delivered a 6 week old fetus and it survived. I did not believe them, but they were adamant. I delivered a baby girl and her parents named her Brooke.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Today's dr. visit went well. My blood pressure was great at 110/66. The baby's heart rate was fluctuating between 147 and 153 - just fine. I actually LOST 3.5 lbs! What the heck?! The doctor was not concerned about it as the baby is measuring where he/she should. He said I have plenty of time left to get all bloated. :) I guess all the weight is going where it should - to the baby as he/she is measuring at 19 weeks 4 days. I suppose it has been due to how active I have been this summer.My TSH (thyroid levels) were very low at .24. I thought I felt "off." He decreased the 2 extra doses a week to no extra doses, just 1 tablet a day and I am to be rechecked in 4 weeks. Hope this gives me some extra energy!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Today, I had an ultrasound. It was with a specialist. I guess the doctor recommended it since I am 36 years old. I guess I am considered old for childbearing! The mom, her 4 year old son, and the mom's sister made the few hour drive to come to the appt. It was so nice they could attend. The ultrasound was very comprehensive. The baby looked great, measured at 19 weeks, 4 days. Sorry, I have no pics to post as the momma took them home. The doctor recommends I return in 4 weeks for another ultrasound to focus on the heart. Supposedly there is new research that shows an increase in heart defects with IVF pregnancies. I got lab work done to check my thyroid levels. I should have the results tomorrow. I also have an appt. with my OB doctor tomorrow for a general pre-natal appt. After the appt. today, I picked up my kids from my mom's and met with the baby's mom, aunt, and big brother at a local park for a while. It was so nice to visit and have the kids play together. The parents did not want to find out the gender of the baby. However, I learned that the mom's sister calls the mom chicken, so the baby has been named chicken nugget. :)I will update after tomorrow's appt and plan to post a 20 week belly pic.

My family

Welcome to my surrogacy blog!

Hi. My name is Carla. I am married to Brian. We have been married almost 10 years. We had 3 children in 2.5 years: Gareth (6-06), Zane (9-07), and Iris (1-09). Brian works as a web programmer. I used to be a social worker for people with developmental disabilities, but now stay home with our children.

In June 2009, we moved from a nice, cookie cutter subdivision to a humble, little, farm house, on 10 acres, in rural east central Illinois. We are interested in living a simpler life moving towards self sufficiency. We are interested in homesteading, gardening, beekeeping, and atheism/secular humanism/skepticism. I am a crafter of all sorts of creations - love to sew and quilt, and have many other interests, including weaving, pottery, painting, scrapbooking, among other things.

Our family feels complete - we are very done having babies for ourselves! My husband had a vasectomy to ensure that we would not be surprised with another baby.

I started thinking about becoming a gestational surrogate during my second pregnancy. The feelings I had did not fade, so here we are now. We were lucky enough to conceive quickly/naturally and have "easy" pregnancies. I have friends and have read about many people that have fertility issues and it does not come so easily for them. It saddens me that they can not fulfill their dreams. I was able to help a couple complete their family, delivering a baby girl, in December 2011. I am now on my second and final journey, helping 2 men from Argentina become daddies, with additional help from an egg donor.

Feel free to ask any questions. I tend to be an open book as long as there is genuine, sincere, respectful interest.